Psalm 119:1-2 'Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.' This is the beginning of what is by far the longest psalm and the longest chap...
Psalm 118:5-6 'In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?' The Duke of Wellington said: “The only thing I am afraid of is fear.” He...
Psalm 117 'Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!' So reads the whole of Psalm 117. It’s the shortest psa...
Psalm 115:1 'Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.' It is said that William Wilberforce marked the passing of the bill to abolish the slave trade by meditating on this psal...
Exodus 34:9 Moses said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favour with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession...
Exodus 32:1 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought u...
Exodus 23:9 'You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.' The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 400 years, and so they had a huge experien...
Exodus 23:8 'Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.' I had never really thought about bribes until I spent two years living in India. There we spoke ...
Exodus 23:5 'If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.' These laws make fascinating reading. Here the people are told that they have a responsibility to other peo...
Exodus 23:2-3 'When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favour of a person just because that person is poor.' Telling the truth is absolutely crucial in a ...
Exodus 20:13-17 God said, “You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbour. You must not covet your neighbour’s house.” These blunt commandments are even more brief in...
Exodus 20:8-10, 12 'Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God... Honour your father and mother. Then...
Exodus 20:6-7 God said: “I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” The wor...
Exodus 20:2-4 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on ...
Exodus 19:5-6 The Lord said, “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.” When G...
